PPR and RVF are two known diseases in domestic ruminants. An annual vaccination Campaign is being done on the first while in 2016 an epidemic outbreak affected both animals and humans in Niger on the second.
The aim of this investigation is to assess the circulation of these two diseases in another wild ruminant, specifically Giraffa camelopardalis peralta.
Having an average annual increase rate of 10% together with conservation, the giraffe population increases from 56 individuals in 1996 to 607 in 2017. In order to reduce the pressure of this species on its current habitat, a translocation operation was conducted in November 2018 where ten (10) individuals were transferred to the Gadebédji Biosphere Reserve. Blood, sera, swabs and tissues samples were collected, and sera were tested for RVF virus nucleoprotéin (NP) antibodies and for anti-PPR antibodies using competitive ELISA test. One serum out the ten (1/10) tested positive for PPR and another one tested positive for RVF virus. The preliminary results of the study reported herein suggest RVF and PPR viruses are probably maintained in those giraffes. This call for a large surveillance of those diseases in giraffes, knowing the public health importance of the former and the economic impact of the later in domestic animals.
